508 Computational Mechanobiology of Bone and Cartilage
Pascal Buenzli, Queensland University of Technology
Qing Li, The University of Sydney
Junning Chen, The University of Exeter
Richard Weinkamer, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Bone, teeth, and cartilage have a unique mechanical function as they are some of the only tissues in the body conferring compressive strength. How well these tissues accommodate their mechanical requirements depends on both their morphology and their material properties, such as stiffness. Mineralization, shape adaptation, and damage repair are key dynamic biological processes that enable mineralized tissues to be 'under-engineered' but to not fail during our lifetime. These biological processes regulate both the structure and stiffness of the tissues. They depend crucially on mechanosensation and mechanotransduction, i.e., the ability of the tissues to sense their mechanical state and to generate biological responses.
Several computer models were developed in recent years to shed light on the mechanical regulation of bone and cartilage and on mineralization processes that occur during bone remodeling, bone tissue growth, fracture healing, tooth movement, and cartilage repair. The objective of the minisymposium is to contrast the different computational approaches (e.g., phenomenological models, cell based models, multiscale approaches), the results that can be obtained with them, and the biological insights that they can provide, both in terms of data analysis and interpretation, and in terms of predicting time evolutions in health and disease based on an experimental starting point. A specific focus will be on the interaction between computer models and novel experimental data, obtained e.g. using high-resolution microcomputed tomography, electron microscopy and DualBeam (FIB/SEM) systems, bone chamber models, and bioreactors/scaffolds. The minisymposium aims to bring together all researchers in the field of mineralized tissue biomechanics; bone, teeth, and cartilage mechanobiology; orthopaedic mechanobiology; implantology; prosthetic dentistry; and tissue engineering.
Several computer models were developed in recent years to shed light on the mechanical regulation of bone and cartilage and on mineralization processes that occur during bone remodeling, bone tissue growth, fracture healing, tooth movement, and cartilage repair. The objective of the minisymposium is to contrast the different computational approaches (e.g., phenomenological models, cell based models, multiscale approaches), the results that can be obtained with them, and the biological insights that they can provide, both in terms of data analysis and interpretation, and in terms of predicting time evolutions in health and disease based on an experimental starting point. A specific focus will be on the interaction between computer models and novel experimental data, obtained e.g. using high-resolution microcomputed tomography, electron microscopy and DualBeam (FIB/SEM) systems, bone chamber models, and bioreactors/scaffolds. The minisymposium aims to bring together all researchers in the field of mineralized tissue biomechanics; bone, teeth, and cartilage mechanobiology; orthopaedic mechanobiology; implantology; prosthetic dentistry; and tissue engineering.
